Travelling far from home is always an adventure; for Robin Marie, India was not only 6400 miles from her home in Germany, but also a vastly different cultural and educational atmosphere. She outlines her journey through Chennai and the IIT campus with humour, not a little exasperation, and a pervasive sense of wonder in “India Diary”.
– Robin Marie
Hi, my name is Robin Marie. I’ve spent the first six months of this year living in Chennai on the IIT campus. I live in Berlin, Germany, and study Economics & Sustainability at TU Berlin. I have a curiosity for life and love to explore things that I don’t yet know anything about. Let me take you through some of the experiences I have had and things I have noticed during my time here.
My arrival was a bit more chaotic than I would have liked, and this is all thanks to my lack of planning ahead. After a 16-hour flight, I arrived at 4 a.m. at Chennai Airport. During the transfer, I met a nice man from Chennai. He was very kind and helped me with my luggage, getting cash, and finding a taxi ride for me. Once I exited the airport, everything I had known was forgotten! It was hectic, and there were a lot of people waiting for someone. I trusted my new friend to help me. We went to a group of men, who organized a taxi for Rs.700 – I agreed (way too expensive, I now know) and went with Manni, the taxi driver, into the car. It was 4.30 a.m. and we were driving through dark and empty streets. We arrived at the hotel only for the manager to say the booking was cancelled and no rooms were available. Manni told me to get back in the car; he would organize a new hotel for me. We arrived at the new hotel and I ended up paying Rs.2000 for a poorly-kept room with a dirty bed. A cute little mouse kept me company in the room. I called a friend and did not sleep a bit. Welcome to India, I thought.
At 9 a.m., I took an Uber to campus through morning traffic. It was fun to finally see the place I had been excited about in the daylight. The check-in at the hostel felt way too long in my sleep-deprived state, and some documents were missing. I arrived at my room and found no mattress. No food. No water. No Wi-Fi. I unfolded my jacket on the metal frame, folded my sweater into a pillow, and took a three-hour nap. When I woke up, I stared out the window, wondering what I was doing here.
Next stop was the Global Engagement Office. To get there, I had to pass through the full streets of the Saarang festival; I remember walking fast and avoiding making eye contact. In the office, I sat there with my first chai in my shaky hands. I then received the number of a wonderful woman in Sabarmati Hostel who helped me settle in. She and her friends picked me up later that day and we cycled towards the Velachery Gate on a mission to get me a mattress. I remember enjoying the warm air and my fascination with these huge trees. Unfortunately, we were not successful in finding a suitable mattress that night, and over the following days we attempted three times to finally get an Indian SIM card for me. I am beyond grateful for the time they spent helping me with this. Before I arrived, I thought these were things I could just do by myself, and I had been firmly set in this individualistic mindset. But this experience showed me that in new contexts it is so much easier to do these things together, and how valuable such support is. All kinds of questions occurred to me in different situations: how does this game of bargaining work for me? When people wave with their hands, do they want me to leave or come closer? And what does the head wobble mean? And what should I wear in this heat? How do I pay with a QR code?
A few days later, I went to the mess in the morning. A woman came towards me while I was leaving and asked me, “Can you please untuck your shirt?” I did so and left. I felt she had been polite while asking, but I didn’t understand what was wrong. I wondered if there were any social norms for dressing in the mess hall.
I hadn’t brought many clothes to India since I’d thought the material of the clothes I had would probably be too thick. This was indeed the case. I’ve never sweated so much in my entire life. I struggled with what I liked to wear. I was a bit worried in the beginning that some clothes might be inappropriate to wear. At the same time, putting on a kurti felt, in the beginning, a bit like I was dressing up and being pretentious, since I didn’t have that kind of a connection to the local culture yet. I remember a visit to Phoenix Mall to do some shopping that ended with me leaving without buying anything. After some time, I was inspired by the outfits I saw around Chennai. My friends also encouraged me to wear whatever I felt most like myself in. I discovered which colours worked nicely together. I definitely fell in love with various Indian colour schemes.
This reminds me of a beautiful tree in front of Sabarmati Hostel with beautiful pink flowers. One time, there were cute deer snacking on the flowers that had fallen to the ground. It looked like a fairy tale. I loved waking up to the sounds of all those incredible birds and monkeys too. I really enjoyed having monkeys around. I think they are very funny to watch, those sneaky little creatures. But what I did not like was the mosquitoes. I think it was in March when I woke up almost every night at 3 a.m. to fight off at least five mosquitoes. I sweated a lot most nights, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to wash my bedsheets so often in my life.
I also remember looking through the rooms in the HSS block. I felt very happy about my classes; students welcomed me with a smile. I had no expectations for the classes, and I genuinely liked them more than those in Germany (except for the attendance requirements). They were definitely more interactive, and the discussions were very interesting. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult to follow amid the noise of the fan. I shared more classes with some people, and it started to feel like I had a little study crew to sit next to in class.
The first time I left campus, there were so many impressions I had: things to see on the streets, traffic, animals, loud noises, and then my friend next to me in a rickshaw telling me about her master’s degree thesis. It was a lot to take in all at the same time. I had some street food that evening after a concert and it was DELICIOUS! I felt comfortable in the city and it felt like a safe place to walk around; it was like I had truly arrived.
I threw myself into everything campus had to offer: dance class, the football team, the volleyball team. I really enjoyed connecting with other students over such activities. What stayed with me most was watching women who had never played football in their lives show up to training and matches anyway: huge respect for that. What I never quite got used to was that the matches rarely started on time: half the team missing, everyone just waiting. Indian Time, we called it.
Later that semester, I felt like the conversations with people I met had moved beyond initial talks. I had so many interesting conversations where I gained some understanding and insights about different parts of India. Still, I feel like I have only just started to understand the complexity of it all. Something kind of new to me was the strict separation of girls’ and boys’ hostels. Having to sneak off the main road to go to quieter places, and having the guards watch or even follow you, felt a bit restricting. Why was I not allowed to show my opposite-gender friends my room? Why did there have to be a specific time when it was allowed? It felt like I was suddenly 17 years old instead of 28. I am very thankful for the different perspectives on their experiences that people shared with me, which helped me put things into context.
Then there was the Holi festival, one of my favourite days in India. I met some of my classmates that day, and they pulled me into the crowd in front of the water tank. It was amazing to see all those colours and to dance. I even had a bit of bhang, which was fun too. With one of my closest friends, I went to an Indian wedding in Kerala. It was such a fun weekend and probably one of the highlights of my stay in India. The friend group around the bride was incredibly positive and energetic. They encouraged me to learn and perform 8 different dances to Indian music. It was a bit challenging for me to understand the rhythm of it. Still, it was a hell of a lot of fun.
Random things I loved and will take with me: My favourite thing in the morning was chai at Usha Cafe. I also had the most amazing mangoes I’ve had in my life. I really enjoyed the smell of incense. Also, I bought a rose-scented perfume that I wear every single day because I love it. I loved watching the birds during golden hour, as it seemed to be the best time of day. It was also here that I learned: ask for what you want! Claim it!
Communication here is on a different level: what do you mean you can understand someone on the phone in the middle of traffic and organize a ride while switching between three languages?
I have many spots marked on my map that people have told me I should check out. In the years to come, I will have to return for sure, to visit my friends and check in on what they are up to. See you soon!
Edited by: Mahathi | Design by: Vimi
